Book Reviews

I have used this book in my fourth grade classroom, and my husband has used it in his special education resource room. The results are mind-boggling! Students that did not have a "hook" for memorizing basic facts now smile as the picture in their mind comes to life and they know the answers immediately. I can not say enough about how this has instilled confidence and success in my students. You won't be disappointed! (Sharlayne - Amazon Review)

This book is both a teacher's manual and contains the duplicatable materials for the child to work with. So, read the instructions carefully and be prepared to make copies of the pages for the child. One reason for the success of the book in teaching the multiplication facts is that it uses a sound-alike name for each number, uses those names in stories for each multiplication and both the stories and the mnemonics make the multiplication fact utterly memorable for the child. If you use the book as intended and work with your child, you'll be astounded at how quickly s/he'll have success in multiplication. (P. Beaird - Amazon Review)

I am a 2nd grade teacher and we introduce times tables, but students are not required to master the concept. We teach the concepts behind times table, but our math program is very weak in memorizing facts. I bought this book and started tell some of the stories at story time. My students love them and love that they are learning their facts. They always ask for another story. We are having fun doing the facts and learning new stories. Next year I will teach the lesson suggested in the book. This year we have not followed the lesson, but have enjoyed the stories and how they help us remember the facts. At my school we are discouraged from making a lot of copies so I don't know if I would ever make a student book for everyone in my class, but I think the concepts of the book are wonderful and very useful. I would recommend this book to every teacher or parent teaching the times tables. (M. Williams - Amazon Review)

I cannot recommend this book enough! The short easy to remember stories stay with the child allowing him or her to create picture stories in the mind with the numbers. This is especially powerful for linguistic learners who may struggle with math. As an educator I know that it is vital for each child to have instant recall of basic math facts. If a child does not, one can be stuck processing the fact instead of learning a new operation. When the facts are known the mind can process the new information that it needs to in order to learn the new information. This book will really help children with the quick recall of multiplication facts. (Elizabeth - Amazon Review)

Great product. Worked great to help my son with his times tables. Bought a copy to use as a teacher also and got one for my son's teacher too. My mom found it and the ryhmes were helpful. Made learning fun for my son. (Nattie Mae - Amazon Review)

My daughter just finished second grade and will be officially learning her multiplication tables next year. We are barely a week out of school, and though I bought this book to work through with her over the summer, we have covered A LOT of ground in it--and we've only been out of school for four days! She loves it. It REALLY works for her. (L.M. Kersey - Amazon Review)

ADHD? processing speed issues? difficulties with working memory? dyslexia? probably dyscalculia? This might just be the answer to your child's multiplication woes.

I was hesitant to plunk down $29 for another multiplication tool that might not work. Having been working on multiplication for a year and a half and gotten almost nowhere, I'd already spent a ton on other books, video games, Montessori materials etc. But, what the heck. $30 is $30 and if it works, it's worth $3000. And work, it did. She wasn't excited about it but she also wasn't *that* resistant. She kept telling me it wasn't working. Heh;) But in 3 days, yes three whole days, she knew her multiplication tables. We just did a few minutes here and there while doing various non math related craft activities. If she was painting, or cutting paper, or making little containers from cardboard (she's always creating something) I'd sit near her and read the stories to her and show the pictures. And she "got" All of them. Not rapid fire, but she knew them. If I asked 6x9, she still had to translate it into the picture words and think of the story, but she'd get it: "6x9... chicks x sign = .....okay, the chicks are fishing on the sign with a core...54! 6x9 is 54!" Just like that. In three days, she and her six year old (nearly 7) sister learned their multiplication tables. The younger one is a more neurotypical auditory/sequential learner and after 3 days knows them cold. No translating them through 'story language' first. I'll be passing a copy onto the little one's teacher this year and recommending Memorize in Minutes to anyone and everyone who has a child that needs to learn their multiplication tables. (Katherine - Amazon Review)

Hi I am a 60 year old woman from Florida and this is the first time that I have been able to learn some of the multiplication tables. I have graduated from Tufts University a long time ago but always felt stupid in math. Crippled, actually! Never able to balance check books, unable to calculate tips, etc. Thank you so very much for this wonderful program. To me, this is a miracle. In the last three days I have been able to remember 8x8=64 and 6x7=42. I have never been able to them for memorize them for all of my life, no matter how many times I studied them. I think that I have dyscalculia. Thank you Mr. Alan Walker you are a genius. (Diane)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for "Memorize in Minutes: The Times Tables"! My 11 year old daughter has struggled with this for several years. She just never could memorize the times tables the traditional way no matter how much we worked on it. We started homeschooling her this year for 6th grade. My main objective for the year was for her to learn her times tables. We used your system and as if by magic she learned (and has retained) her times tables in about 1 week (working on it just a little each day). Now she does not hate math and is even excited about it. Please develop more learning systems like this! Thank you again (Deana)

I have used the Memorize in Minutes the Times Table Book for 2 years now in my third grade classroom. I have never had students learn so fast and retain the learning for so long! THANK YOU very much for a wonderful product! Thank You! (Holly)

My son was in 4th grade and having panic attacks any time there was a 7 in his math problem. Since you can only get the teacher copy, I just made photo copies at work so we could cut them out. My son enjoyed the storied and it made a big difference. We kept the flash cards around for review, too. (C. Ziegel - Amazon Review)

This book is awesome! My daughter is in the third grade and hates flash cards! She is a very imaginative out of the box thinker. This book made her excited to learn her multiplication tables. After we used it the first night she wanted to play the "buzz" game with her friends at school. They loved it and asked her to bring it into school. When she did the teacher loved it and is going to order one for herself. I was amazed at how quickly she was able to remember the images which allowed her to remember the problem. It made me gitty with excitement to see the pride on her face when she could recite her 9's like she's known them her whole life! It is worth the money! This book does have flash cards in the back, but one side is numbers and the other side is the picture associated with it. The stories that go along with the image are key. You need to read each of the stories in order to assist with making the connection to the image. My daughter "loves this book"! (J. Schofield - Amazon Review)

Thank you for your excellent product Memorize in Minutes: The Times Tables. My learning disabled daughter was struggling, unable to memorize rote facts, but always up for a story. She learned her times tables through your program (administered at home) in less than three weeks. Her teachers were impressed, and she seems to have retained the facts now 6 months after completing the program. I would like to know if you have a similar program for addition/subtraction. She really responded to your multiplication program! ....and thanks again for helping us make this breakthrough. (Susan)

I ordered your book for my 12 year old son who was having a difficult time memorizing his multiplication tables. I was very frustrated because I couldn't find something that worked for him. Your book worked wonderfully!!! I'm happy to say that those multiplication facts are now firmly entrenched in his long term memory!!! He's now able to move ahead in his other math skills and it really has increased his confidence. Thank You very much:) (Sue and Josh)

Hi! Thanks so much for your book. I am just using the system with my right-brained math-hating daughter. It is working beautifully! Believe it or not, she learned them all in a day. I am so pleased! Thank you, thank you, thank you! (Robyn)

I found your book a God-send. I was working with two girls several years ago who were border-line educable. I was trying to teach them life skills and they asked me if I could teach them the times tables. They were up and running in no time. The best part, though, was that we had fun learning them! I have seen the girls several times in the last two years and they still remember them! Thanks! (Kathleen)

Thank you so much for this publication!!! My son and I have moved up to the 12's and have made up our own stories for that level. He has gained so much confidence and speed. He doesn't forget anymore. I am telling friends and teachers alike to use this program you have developed! Thank you again for bringing this to the parents and children! (Renee - Laguna Niguel CA)

Your book on the multisensory approach to multiplication was an amazing success with one of my most challenging students. He rattles off the answers before many in his class and we thought it would be a nightmare to teach him. Thanks, a very grateful teacher, (Maureen)

It works and its fun. My child and I actually bonded while we worked with this book. He didn't get the Multi-Tables at all until we used this book and got visual. By the time the other books I ordered arrived we had got it down. The last test I gave him of ninety questions he only got 4 wrong. (Eric - Amazon Review)

I am a tutor in Australia and recently ordered a copy of Memorize in Minutes. I am using this book with a fourth grade boy and am having excellent results. This boy was falling further and further behind in his arithmetic because he did not have his multiplication tables memorized.

Memorize in Minutes taps into his way of thinking. Its use of rhyming and association gives him a fun and successful way of finally learning his times tables. The value of Memorize in Minutes is universal. It doesn't matter which part of the world you live in; Memorize in Minutes crosses cultures to help all children memorize their times tables. I will recommend this book to other teachers. Thanks again for opening up such a great opportunity to my students. (Andrew - Brisbane, Australia)

This book has been an answer to my prayers. My son is finally having some success at math. Thank you so much. (Janie)

When this book arrived I took one look at it and thought "Why should I confuse my kids with stories that go along with every fact?" It sounded like too much translating from story to numbers to me. I expressed my disappointment to my 8 year old who had watched me open the package. She took the book from me and began reading the stories (which are very simple and short). Within minutes she and her 6 year old sister were on the couch laughing and learning... literally teaching themselves. The book is written with such easy to follow "teachers" instructions that my kids were "playing" school and learning the facts themselves. There is also website www.mulitplication.com which provides you with incredible support. If you have creative kids who love to read, act out stories, and draw then they will love this method of learning the times tables. The basic concept of multiplication is laid out and an almost automatic way of remembering the facts via very short stories and pictures is the vehicle by which they are able to recall the facts. I would like to thank the author and publisher for this has lightened our load immensely! (Julie, Minnesota)

I have recently ordered this book to assist my child. She is doing very well with it. I want to know! Thank You, (Teresa)

My daughter looked me in the eye and said "I don't want to learn the multiplication tables! It's too hard! and it's boring!" I was shocked to hear this, since my daughter is a straight A student. So I searched for a product (or "gadget") that would make this process fun. This is it!!!! My daughter loves to read, And the stories were so silly that it made it easier for her to remember them. Within a couple of weeks she had learned the multiplication tables. She's just started 3rd grade last week, and she already has a jump on the year. I scanned all the flash cards into my computer and then printed out the flash cards so I can have them for future use, instead of cutting out the pages (this way you can also make them as large or as small as you want). Great product!!!!! (E. King - Amazon Review)

My son struggled in Math last year gradually losing self confidence. I knew it was because he just didn't know those facts. He has almost completed the program and tests with 100% accuracy. He also has said "This is kinda' fun" HELLO... has anyone else EVER heard those words when memorizing the times tables? (Cheryl from New Fairfield, Connecticut)

I am a homeschool mother and I LOVE your multiplication curriculum. I have used the multiplication with two of my 5 children. They both have totally different learning styles and they both LOVE doing their "times" work. Thank you and please let me know if you have any other offerings. (Tina - Clearwater, FL)

Thank you for publishing the Memorize in Minutes:Times Tables curriculum.We had very quick success using it with

our third grader. I am recommending it to others. Thank you, (Cindy)

Thank you for an excellent product. The consideration and effort really shows and is most appreciated by this mom! (Lori)

My son didn't "get" multiplication at all until we got this book. After using the book, he now finds it easy. Multiplication is taught using stories. Each number has its own character in the stories (4 is always Door). For a visual/reader learner it is the best thing out there. If your child doesn't get multiplication by rote memorization, please try this method. It really worked for us! (Travelin' from Hermitage, TN)

This book is just what I needed to reinforce multiplication facts with my teenager!! THANKS SO MUCH! (Todd - Phoenix, AZ)

I received the book in 2 days. My daughter learned most of her facts in 3 days. Within a week she was caught up at school. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! (Robin)

Thank you so much for your great book and ideas. As a special ed teacher teaching summer school, I am most grateful for the new ideas you have given me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. (Cynthia)

It is just what the doctor ordered. (Rebecca)

WOW! This book is incredible! (Debbie)

I have been teaching special education for ten years. This book offered a way to teach multiplication facts to students who are struggling. We have had so much fun learning all the neat stories/rhymes. Thank you so much. (Valarie)

I have almost finished teach my 7 year old son, YES 7! his times tables using your methods. They work wonderfully! (Jennifer)

I received your book, Memorize in Minutes, The Times Tables, in the mail. I love it. I am going to share it with the other teachers. You are quite an accomplished man. Where do you find the time to do so much? Thank you so very much for sharing your book with me and personalizing it. I can't wait to share your website with others at the CAMT conference here in Houston this summer. Thank you so much, again, (Christine)

My daughter has difficulty with some of her multiplication tables and your book has been quite helpful working through those final groups. I will spread the word to other mothers for their children too.

Thanks for such a wonderful book full of resources. (Renee, Utah)

The books are wonderful and thanks for such a wonderful delivery service-conscience group of workers. (Lori)

This book was well represented on the website and I was actually surprised that I felt relatively comfortable it would suit my needs as a private tutor. I was not only impressed with the ease of ordering and the speedy delivery time, I was exceptionally pleased with the content and the clear concise manner in which the material is presented. Offering the students opportunities to follow several paths to learning...auditory, visual, and kinesthetic... is important! I highly recommend this publication and hope it helps YOU to make a difference with your students as it has helped me to make a significant difference with mine. (Phillip)

I am using this book with my third grade grandson. We are having a lot of fun, and he is learning the multiplication facts, something that he had been having a great deal of trouble with. Thank you! (June)

WOW! I came upon your site from a teacher recommendation. Awesome! It is simple to use, understand, and makes learning fun. You will change the world and make it a better place because of your relief of student (and parent) stress related to learning not only multiplication facts, but now we are looking for patterns in other math areas, too. THANKS!!! (Agnes)

The book is most excellent. I am using it with my children and my friend's son who is learning disabled and can't remember the times tables. Thank you again for the book and for everything going so smoothly. (Rebecca)

I hope every day you realize how incredible your book is! Thank you so much! (Barbara)

I love this. I have a daughter who is struggling a little in multiplication. This book helped in a great way. You present them graduating difficulty, and she flew right through! Thank You VERY MUCH! (Lance)

Perfect in every way, exactly what I asked for!!! Thanks! (Michele)

This is the best thing since sliced bread. My 9yr old can do more than me through this site book. I was able to help as a parent. I can't express how good that feels. Thank you very very much! (Mrs. Bruce)

We currently use your book Memorize in Minutes: The Times Tables and absolutely love it, as do the kids! (Susan - Afton, Iowa)

I am so thrilled to be able to include Memorize in Minutes: The Times Tables in my homeschool curriculum. This book/learning method is fun and exciting for a range of age groups. I give it very high marks for the teacher instructions included with the book! (Michelle)

The pictures and word association helped to play an important role in my students retention of their multiplication facts. (Gail)

I have been very pleased with the book "Memorize In Minutes: The Times Tables". I have already begun using the pictures to help some low performing students and the results are outstanding. I would recommend this book to teachers when teaching the multiplication facts or for use with students having trouble memorizing their facts. Thanks for sure a neat book. (Sheila)

The lessons are great! ! ! Thank you! I am a homeschooling mother of two sons (ages 9 & 10). These lessons have been a big help. God bless you! (Mrs. Huffman)

My daughter is just grasping multiplication and this has helped her really understand the basics. (No name)

I have recommended the book to all the parents that I have talked with, most of which are home school moms! (Janice)

I'm working with an adult learner. This book are so perfect for removing the embarrassment from learning multiplication. I just wish I could have it years ago. Thanks. I teach Ford workers. (Bob)

I think this is a great book to help parents teach and kids can have fun learning. Keep up the good work. (Kiesha)

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your book! We are working on it right now. Someone in my home school group recommended it and now I will tell everyone I know. It's funny because my 8 yr. old wanted to learn multiplication and I knew I wanted to make it fun because I have a 15 yr. old who hates math so I was making up words that rhymed with numbers like plate x plate for 8 x 8 and now there IS actually something like that. I'm thrilled! I may even go back with my 15 yr. old (who is a visual learner) and start over. (Kim)

Great book. My son learned his times tables in a week with this system! Bless you. (Sandy)

You have the most remarkable book imaginable. Thank you for saving my life, and the lives of my children. We are learning the times tables very quickly thanks to you. The kids love the little lessons just for them, I love the rhyming, and a mix of traditional and new methodology. Thanks for putting this together and letting everyone benefit. I'm going to recommend your book and site to my children's teachers, as well as my friends and neighbors. Thanks a MILLION! (Lindy)

Hi, I just wanted to write and thank you for this book. It has saved us from a summer of battling flash cards. My 8 and 6 year old daughters read the stories together and act out the multiplication facts while they are playing. They have basically taught themselves the times tables and had a lot of fun doing it. Math was "never this fun in school." My 8 year old was becoming very negative about math but this book has turned her confidence around and she actually likes it now. Thank you, thank you, thank you! As a bonus my 6 year old will enter first grade knowing her times tables as well! You have made our house happy! (Julie O)

As a public school teacher I searched for thirteen years to find something to help my students learn their multiplication facts. Now that I am home schooling my own children, I have finally found something that actually works! Everything you need is in this Teaching Manual. There are no other materials to buy.

The whole concept seemed a bit odd at first. In fact I waited until now, when we are almost finished with the book, to write this because I was a bit leery about the program. Now my daughter knows her facts in a snap. She has not missed one fact on the timed tests I give her each day since beginning the program. Also, her times get faster each day. She has told me more than once, "Mom, this is fun!" How many times do you hear that when teaching children multiplication facts?!?!

I give my daughter two facts a day. There are big and little flash cards included in the book. Each number and each multiplication fact has a story. I have her act out the stories and repeat them back to me. The author explains that it is easier for our brains to remember pictures than it is numbers. If your child can remember the stories and pictures, they will remember the facts. Why didn't I think of this?! (Stephanie, Tampa Florida)

You book is very good. I will give you an A+ (Liam)

This book makes teaching the times tables fun for the students and the teacher. I love it. (Robin)

Your book is awesome. My students are having so much fun... and learning their times tables too! (Mark)

I really like this approach to learning the multiplication facts. The first few lessons teach your child what multiplication really is (repeated addition) instead of starting out memorizing stories immediately. They also show you the chart with the times tables on it. Shaded out are the 0 facts and the 1's (those are easy), also the repeats (if you know 2 X 3 then you know 3 X 2). After that's done there are only 36 facts to memorize. It's still a lot, but on a chart with 100 it helps you to see that this is doable. The book teaches you those 36 facts.

What I really like is that the numbers stay the same; all the 2's are shoes, 3 is a tree, 4 is a door, 5 is a hive, 6 = chick, 7 = surfin', 8 = skate and 9 is a sign. Once you can remember these 8 numbers/pictures there's no guessing what the number is for that story (unlike Times Tables the Fun Way where the number pictures do not stay the same but change). Of course, the numbers in the answer are not the same.....if the answer is 9 it doesn't mean the 9 in the answer will be a sign. Each picture also has the number inside it (the shoe has a 2 inside of it, there's a 3 up in the leaves of the tree, etc).

This book has pages of everything you need in the back of the book. Some things, like the flash cards, you could just cut right out of the book. The larger cards you can also, but you might want to also make copies so that your child can color one. Every lesson is spelled out with exactly what you need and even tells you what to say.

The first story is for 2 x 2. The story is: "A young boy received a pair of new shoes and they were just what he wanted. When he put them on, he found they were too big. Even though they didn't fit, he decided to wear them to school the next day. Sometimes, as he would walk along, he would step right out of them. He would look down at his feet and be in his socks. The shoes would be sitting on the floor. As you can imagine, this was very embarrassing for the boy. 2 X 2 = 4; Shoe X Shoe = Floor". After reading the story the child can color the picture (obviously it's 2 shoes on the floor). The child is also told to close their eyes and picture the 2 shoes sitting on the floor. It also explains to your child that the 2's rhyme with shoes and the 4 rhymes with floor and they can close their eyes and picture this. They can even act out the story.

Here's another example further along in the book: 8 X 8. "Two skaters went to a skating rink. They put on their skates and started skating. After only a few seconds, they stopped moving. They didn't know what was wrong. They looked down at the floor and were shocked. The floor was covered with sticky, gooey gum. Their skates were stuck to the sticky floor. 8 X 8 = 64; Skate X Skate = Sticky Floor".

Even the product of the numbers multiplied has a consistency to it that you won't find in Times Tables the Fun Way. What I mean by this, as an example, is that the answers in the 60's are all sticky.......63 is sticky bee, 64 is sticky floor. If another multiplication sentence has the answer 63...it will be sticky bee again. The 30's are dirty.......36 is dirty chicks, 35 is dirty dive, etc. I can see that my kids could really learn from these stories and pictures (and me too). If they see on paper 8 X 8 they'll probably remember the two skates and think....."oh yeah, sticky floor.....64". In the back of the book (its over 200 pages) are large cards to color, smaller flash cards, quizzes and picture quizzes where they draw the pictures. I'm more than happy with this book and highly recommend it. (Mom Of Many Munchkins - Amazon Review)